Deadline 2006 – Fantasy Fallout Pt.1

A high amount of trades on March 8th and 9th, but not so much in terms of fantasy impact. Here is a look at what the deals mean to your hockey pool, by team:

Anaheim – IN: Brett Skinner, 3rd round pick, Jeff Friesen, Sean O’Donnell OUT: Keith Carney, Juha Allen, Sandis Ozolinsh, Joel Perreault. I had stated here earlier that the Ducks would only be doing minor moves and that is exactly what they did. Switching Carney for O’Donnell was a sideways move, and losing Ozolinsh has little impact because did not play a whole lot for them this year. Jeff Friesen will be interesting to watch. After four seasons with around 60 points in San Jose, the 29-year-old could only muster 43 points as his best year in Anaheim. It’s a whole new team now, one that will be better suited for his speed game. His first game in his second tour of duty, Friesen logged only nine minutes of ice time playing with Teemu Selanne and Andy McDonald.

Atlanta – IN: Steve McCarthy OUT: conditional draft pick. While the Thrashers did well in acquiring a 25-year-old rearguard with some potential, there was nothing done in Atlanta that would affect anyone’s hockey pool. I had expected big changes to be made by this team, given the playoff guarantee by the GM, however nothing more was done than this small move.

Boston – IN: Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny, 2nd round draft pick OUT: Sergei Samsonov. As expected, the Bruins are in a rebuilding mode. Stastny is a longshot to make the NHL as a regular, but the possibility exists and the Bruins must like him since they were the ones who drafted him in the first place – they’ve already stuck him in the lineup for a tryout. If the door wasn’t wide open for Brad Boyes to produce before, it is certainly open with Samsonov gone. The Bruins made a statement to Boyes: “You are our guy”. His production will go up. Reasoner will see more power play time than he did in Edmonton, which may see him become a 45 point player.

Buffalo – IN: 2nd round pick OUT: Mikka Noronen. Not much of a difference for this team, but you can’t really blame a team who is having such a great season and just got their best player back from injury. Noronen’s departure lessens the goaltending logjam and in turn reduces the goaltending controversy.

Calgary – IN: Jamie Lundmark OUT: Jason Weimer. The Flames needed more scoring up front, and their answer to that was Jamie Lundmark. That alone is reason enough to take a shot on him in your pool. He’ll be a cheap pickup who may turn his career around in his home province of Alberta. If anyone can turn around the formerly highly touted prospect, it is coach Darryl Sutter. Also being the GM of the team, Sutter has even more reason to play Lundmark…Lundmark can make him look good.

Carolina – IN: Mark Recchi OUT: Niklas Nordgren, Krys Kolanos, 2nd round pick. The ‘Canes effectively replaced the offense lost when Erik Cole went down with a fractured vertebrae in his neck. They also introduced even more experience. Recchi will continue to score at his current pace, and the Hurricanes retain their status as Cup contenders.

Chicago – IN: 4th round pick,6th round pick, 2nd round pick, Brandon Bochenski OUT: Jim Dowd, Todd Simpson, Andy Hilbert, Tyler Arnason. This is a pretty solid return for a rebuilding team. Bochenski only received twelve minutes of ice time in his Chicago debut and he was a minus-2. It’s a whole new game out there in Chicago, and Bochenski can no longer see the likes of Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza on his line. His potential for greatness has declined, and his fantasy value has gone with it. With Arnason out of the picture, the Blackhawks will rely even more on Radim Vrbata, Kyle Calder, Mark Bell, and Rene Bourque for offense.

Colorado – IN: Jim Dowd, Jose Theodore OUT: 4th round pick, David Aebischer. The only fantasy impact here is the acquisition of Jose Theodore, who may or may not turn things around. My money is on “may”. Theodore is a top goaltender in this league, and the change of scenery turns him from a fantasy hockey dud to a fantasy hockey stud.

Dallas – IN: Willie Mitchell OUT: Martin Skoula, Shawn Belle. Nothing of fantasy impact here. Something to keep in mind about Dallas – they would be out of the top four in the Conference if it was not for the shootout. Going 10-0 in the shootout will not help them in the playoffs. On the other hand, Jussi Jokinen and Bill Guerin are just starting to really heat up.

Edmonton – IN: Dwayne Roloson, Sergei Samsonov OUT: Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny, 1st round pick, 3rd round pick, 2nd round pick. A .855 save percentage was on Roloson’s record after two games as an Oiler. He will adjust, and bring the Oilers that extra win or two that they need to get into the playoffs. Sergei Samsonov is the real fantasy boon here. He is capable of 90 points, health permitting. Maybe he can be that kind of player in an Edmonton uniform.

Florida – IN: Ric Jackman OUT: Petr Taticek NOT OUT: Olli Jokinen. I added that last part because it was likely the biggest non-move of the deadline. I know more than a few pool owners that have Jokinen that winced when they saw he’ll be staying in Florida. They had visions of him in an Ottawa uniform, and all the points – regular season and playoff – that would come with that. As for Jackman, he is not a Jacques Martin kind of player, and I cannot see this working. Taticek was a decent prospect to sacrifice for him.

Los Angeles – IN: Tim Jackman, Mark Parrish, Brent Sopel OUT: Yanick Lehoux, Jeff Tambellini, Denis Grebishkov. Acquired experience and gave up youth. Parrish owners would have preferred he land somewhere better than LA, but his role in LA is clearly defined – he’ll be on the second line and put up 60 points a year. Sopel and Jackman have little fantasy value.

Minnesota – IN: Martin Skoula, Shawn Belle, 1st round pick, 3rd round pick OUT: Willie Mitchell, Dwayne Roloson. The Wild need an offensive defenseman, and Skoula has a chance at providing that. Of course, he had a chance in Anaheim and Dallas as well, so don’t count on it happening here. I think what the Wild does with that 1st round pick holds more fantasy potential than what Skoula offers.